A Time of Emptiness
by Sheankelor
Summary: Wendyll has found a herd of magical wrens, and Severus does what he can to set her free to join them. How do these two find each other once again? How will their time of separation affect them? A 'Making a Family' Universe tale


_Not as fluffy as the normal Wendyll and Severus tales. If you have not seen the others yet, you might want to check them out._

 _This one is not beta'ed as of yet. If you spot an error that bothers you greatly, please let me know. Oh, and a flock of wrens are called a chime or a herd.^-^  
_

 _Thanks to Yen for taking the time out to catch a few mistakes._

 _A Time of Emptiness_

Severus settled on his bed while watching the open window he knew Wendyll would be flying through shortly. Shaking, he wrapped his arms around his chest. _'It will be over soon. Just a quick conversation. I can be strong enough for that.'_

Tightening his arms briefly, he straightened up and forced a calm look on his face. He knew this was for the best, so he would see it through to the end. A small, tight smile curled his lips as the brown wren landed on his pillow and cocked her head towards him.

"How was your afternoon, Wendyll?" Glad his tone sounded carefree, not sad, Severus waited for her answer.

"It was fun, Severus! The herd allowed me to fly about with them, and the young ones are so cute. Soon nesting will happen and then there will be fledglings to watch." Her wings and tail flitted as she bounced about on the pillow, her chirps coming fast as she continued. "The woods where they stay almost reminds me of my old family's home. They asked me to come back tomorrow!"

Drawing in a deep breath, Severus held it for a moment before slowly letting it go. "Go." Stooping, he leaned down until he was at her eye level. "Go back to them and stay. Make them your new family, Wendyll."

Wendyll went stock still, her eyes fixed on Severus'. "I can't leave you, Severus." A wing trembled so slightly neither of them noticed it. "You need a family, a group to be your herd."

Rolling up his left sleeve, Severus showed the newly made brand on his forearm. "I will be fine. See, I have a group. You can join the herd and be happy without worrying."

Hopping across the bed, Wendyll peered at the snake and skull that darkened the arm laying between them. "You said you didn't trust them. That you didn't believe what they professed. Why did you join them?"

Severus shrugged. He knew he would never tell her the reason. After volleying back and forth for the last year, he decided to join because he knew it was the only way for her to be free. "You are right, I do not trust him – I don't trust any of them, but they trust me. I know that they do, and that is a step up from anyone else besides you."

He glanced at the Dark Mark he had taken that morning. It wasn't as tightly tied to him as the other Death Eaters, at least the ones at the meetings. He figured it was because he _didn't_ trust Voldemort, and possible because his beliefs didn't align all that well with the groups. _'Voldemort never noticed the weak link. He just went on with the meeting.'_

His attention was caught by a wing flicking his arm. A scolding churr followed shortly after. "I will stay."

"No. You deserve this, Wendyll. You deserve to have a mate, a brood, a home. Go, I will be fine."

"Severus ..."

Scooping her up, Severus set her on the windowsill and waved to the world outside. "Go. We have both found a chance of a family."

Her wings flitted as she looked out and then back at him.

"You may visit, of course. Now, go." He nudged the window further open, letting the evening breeze in. "Take care of yourself, and make sure you don't freeze."

Wendyll studied his face and the resolve that filled it. "If you ever need me, I will find you, Severus."

"I would expect no less."

The small brown wren flew up to his shoulder and nuzzled his neck before sounding an almost noiseless chirp. Closing his eyes, Severus forced the words, the pleading ones, to remain behind his teeth. With one more chirp, Wendyll flew out the window.

As she flew out of sight, Severus sank to the floor, his fingers clenched as tightly as the band of grief wrapped around his chest.

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

Wendyll flew until she found a safe cavity to spend the night in. She knew she could not impose on the other herd this evening. Tucking her wings up close to her sides, she tried to sort her feelings out. Sadness filled her, she didn't want to leave Severus, but hope was there as well. She had a chance at regaining what she had lost: family to call on, fledglings to guard and nurture, and the warmth of a roost as other wrens pressed against her during the long winter months.

She envisioned the months spent talking about the wind, where the best insects are found, and how to avoid the owls and other predators. They would fly together, roost together, and pair off into mating pairs and take care of young together. The memories of her family warmed her as she fell asleep.

Morning came and Wendyll flew off to find the herd. They answered her chirps, but not with the same warmth as she remembered from her own family. There was a polite distance in the tones. The knowledge that this was not her original family bit deep, and the sadness tried to fill her again.

"Wendyll! You came back." The young wren, he couldn't be more than ten, landed near her. "There are some lovely insects in the garden over that wall, shall we go?"

Taking wing, she flew with the young one to find breakfast.

That evening she flew to Severus' window. She needed to tell him of her day, of the adventures she was having, of the jarring unfamiliar behaviours of this herd. Landing on the edge of the sill, she peered through the pane of glass into an empty furnished room. _'He is spending too much time in the lab again.'_ Flying down to a bush near the entrance of the flats, she settled deep inside to wait. She now had one more thing to tell Severus – he needed to set a timer to come home.

Morning came, the sun glinting off damp leaves and damp feathers. Giving a full body shake, Wendyll worked her way out of the bush and flew up to Severus' window. One look inside showed that nothing had changed.

Searching for food nearby, Wendyll did not give up watching for Severus for almost a week. It was then that she accepted he had left.

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

Early in his life Severus had learned how to avoid punishments. You did as you were told, you didn't whine, bow, or scrape at the leader's feet, and you did your best to remain unnoticed while taking in everything. That was how he found himself in his current position. The Dark Lord ordered him to become a professor at Hogwarts and spy on Dumbledore.

Leaning against the exterior wall of the Hog's Head, Severus stared out into the misty rain as he decided how to tell the Dark Lord of the prophecy he overhead. There was no question of if he would say anything, only how. The Dark Lord would know if he left it out of his report that evening, and then he would feel the Torture Curse.

For a moment he craved the curse because it created a _feeling_ in the emptiness filling him. Ever since Wendyll left, he walked about apathetic to everything. He did as the Dark Lord told him, not affected by what it was because he truly didn't care. His hopes of a family or at least a group of like-minded people were dashed the morning he had told Wendyll to leave, and had never been revived. Dark eyes rested on the covered left arm as Severus contemplated the excruciating pain. ' _Not worth the strengthening of the Dark Lord's connection to me.'_

His attention returned to the rain as he remembered the slow, to him, discovery of why Voldemort like to cast spells on his followers. The first three weeks after he released Wendyll he spent in the potions laboratory at the Dark Lord's headquarters brewing anything the leader declared necessary, which afforded him the unparalleled opportunity to observe the Dark Lord and the other Death Eaters. _'The more he distrusts you or you fail him, the more you are cursed. Makes sense. The dunderhead followers think it is just punishment.'_ Snorting lightly, he noticed the misty rain became a steady drizzle. He wrapped his fingers around his left forearm, his thought pulling him back to the end of those three weeks, to the first and last time he felt the Torture Curse. He failed at the task set him – not through fault of his own, there was no way to make the required potion any faster – and had been punished. He had savoured feeling so it was only afterwards that he noticed that the Dark Mark's connection was stronger. Since that day, he had done his best not to let the man cast any spell on him.

A beetle buzzed by him, landing on a tall reedy weed. Without a thought, he stunned it with a spell he had invented in his third year – one designed specifically for insects as the standard stunning charm killed them – and then summoned it into a storage bottle. Holding the bottle up, he contemplated the insect collection. They would not be eaten this year as Wendyll was gone, but he could not stop himself from gathering them; the habit was too ingrained. Shaking his head, he shoved the bottle in to a pocket. _'I need to hurry, or he will be upset.'_

Pushing off the wall, he headed for the Death Eater's headquarters. He had a report to make.

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

Cold. That is how most of the other Death Eaters viewed him. Calculating and dangerous were other words Severus had heard bandied about at the socializing part of the meetings. Wrapping the coldness about himself, he stepped before the Dark Lord and waited, head high, eyes and face blank.

"You have something to report?" Red eyes watched the Potions Master.

Severus refrained from raising an eyebrow. The Dark Lord had ordered him to follow Dumbledore when he left the school and find out what he was doing, of course he had something to report. "Dumbledore was interviewing for the Divination position at the Hog's Head Inn. As I was waiting near the door, I heard the seer make a prophecy. The barkeep kept me from hearing the entire thing, but the section I overheard may be of some interest to you."

Red eyes narrowed as a sneer filled Voldemort's face. "Speak it."

"The one with the power to vanquish the _Dark Lord_ approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies..." Severus watched Voldemort's face, hoping he would avoid being hexed, the man's temper was chancy.

Leaning back into his seat, Voldemort tapped a finger on the chair arm before shooting a look over at a cluster of his followers. "Find out who this child is. I want to know of every child born at the end of July."

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

Wendyll huddled on a branch, watching mating pairs fly off to check out the nests that the males had made. Many of the males had approached her, but none of them stirred anything within her. Watching the herd spread out, she wished Severus was there. She wanted her nest under the blankets or near his pillow. She wanted his fingers grooming her feathers. Hunkering down further, her wings and tail drooped, brushing the branch under her. _'I want MY family!'_

The herd she found had taken her in, but they were not her family. They could not sing her song, they wouldn't even attempt to learn it. Severus had learned to whistle it before their first winter was over. The herd treated her as a visitor, a well thought of guest, all the time. Severus treated her as a friend by the third time they meet, and as family when he saved her.

The ache in her chest expanded from the small corner she kept it locked in. Severus was her family, not this herd. Severus was her chosen partner, her mate. The nest he presented her was the best, not one other compared. Lifting her head, she looked towards the building of flats. Why would Severus leave after telling her that she could visit? That question was not a new one, it had filled her mind off and on since she gave up waiting on him.

Flicking a wing, she chirped lightly, calling him as she had done for years. No answer greeted her call. If he showed up right now, she would never let him go again. Even before she finished the thought, her wings partially spread in surprise. _'Never let him go? Maybe he vanished because he wouldn't let me go again?'_

Tucking her wings against her side, she looked back at the remnants of the herd, those too young and too old to mate. Spotting the leader of the herd, she flew down to her. "Mira."

The old bird tipped her head, bring Wendyll into her vision. "Wendyll, you have not chosen a mate?"

Flipping her wings, Wendyll hopped slightly closer. "I must hunt him down. Thank you for the herd's hospitality, but I need to be off. I need to find Severus."

Mira chipped softly before nudging the other wren gently with a wing. "Then be gone. I wish for you the gentleness of the East Wind, the warmth of the South Wind, the strength of the West Wind, and the perseverance of the North Wind. Go, find your place Wendyll, but know you can always rest with us when you need to."

Bobbing her head in thanks, Wendyll took off. She would start searching in Diagon Alley. Someone there might have heard of Severus or the Death Eaters.

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

Severus looked about the assembled Death Eaters. Their cloaks and masks were supposedly to keep their identity a secret – a form of protection – but he who three quarters of the people present. Their voices and postures gave them away. He was positive there were a number who knew who he was as well since he made no attempt at disguise.

Standing with his back against a wall, he waited for Voldemort to call them to order and begin the meeting. A short jolt radiated from his Dark Mark. It was the signal he was waiting on. Moving to take his place in the circle, he noticed the Dark Lord's shoulders were tense.

"It is the second week of August, who are the children born at the end of July?" The question cracked out over the assembly with no preamble.

A member of the clerical staff at St. Mungo's stepped forward and Severus could see the satisfaction on the Dark Lord's face.

"Report."

"The Longbottoms and the Potters both have boys that were born at the end of last month."

The red eyes glowed as he leaned forwards. "Which one was born last?"

The clerk trembled and Severus could see he wanted to run. "The Potters, my lord."

"Then they shall be our first target." Voldemort stopped as Snape stepped forward out of the circle. "You have something to add?"

A touch of fear brushed the empty place where Severus held his heart. Lily – she was his friend, one who had left him, who didn't trust him, but one he still felt the need to protect. Knowing that he was about to anger the Dark Lord, he spoke anyway his voice as blank as his face. "I request that Lily Potter be allowed to live, sir."

Red eyes narrowed on him, searching for a reason for his request. "And why should that filthy mudblood be allowed to continue breathing?"

"Lily was my friend," he was unable to finish as Voldemort cut him off.

"She rejected you, insulting you, making her unworthy of your request."

Thinking quickly, Severus chose his words carefully. "Her rejection … it was what pushed me to join you. If she dies, then the focus of my anger, my disgust, is gone."

Voldemort contemplated his follower for a long minute before answering. "If I can leave her alive, then I shall. It would be a pity if you lost your focus."

Soft snickers followed Severus as he walked through the clumps of socializing Death Eaters. He could hear them commenting on his request and how they couldn't see any emotion in him – certainly not anger. Most of them were amazed that he wasn't cursed, and to be truthful so was he.

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

Tired wings drooped as Wendyll came to rest on a frost covered branch. She had to find some place warm for the night or she would never survive the winter. Tipping her head, she heard a rustle of wings, many wings, nearby. Hopping branch to branch, she followed the sound until she came to a tightly packed roost. Worming her way in, she took the place closed to the door, knowing that it was the coldest and that she was capable of handling more cold than these common house wrens.

The morning brought a conversation with her roost companions. They told her of the people who travelled through the area and told her of a reclusive one that matched Severus' description.

Refusing to get her hopes up too high, she had tracked down many such people, she flew off in the direction of the recluse.

It was midmorning before she entered the small clearing where his hut was. Flitting about she eventually landed on a branch near a small window and began to sing.

A thin hand lifted pushed the window out slightly and then rested on the windowsill. Hopping closer, she chirped lightly. "Severus, is that you?"

Hope coated the ache the filled her, smothering it as the fingers twitched. Flitting to a twig as close to the hand as she could get, she began to sing again, waiting to hear Severus' whistle in reply.

It never came.

Fear started taking over hope. Fear that once again she found a stranger, that once again, she would be without the comfort of her family. Quietly flitting to the windowsill, she looked at the owner of the thin hand. The dark hair was long, down the middle of the man's back, and his robes were hanging on his thin age stooped frame. Pale blue eyes spotted her and a small smile curled the man's lips.

"Welcome, little one. I'm Ackley. It's late to be makin' a nest fer the year. Are you lookin' fer a safe winterin' place? If you wish, you can reside in the rafters. They're loaded with bugs all year round, and are warm."

Hope fled taking fear with it leaving only pain, sharp and deep, cutting into her. This was not her Severus, no matter how nice he was. Turning about, she peered into the forest. She should keep hunting, Severus was out there somewhere, but winter was setting in. Cold rain and freezing nights had arrived, and she promised Severus she would not freeze.

"I understand, you've other places to be. Go on and join your family and friends."

The wistfulness in his voice resonated within her. Here was another lost soul who needed a friend for the winter. Flitting from the windowsill, she settled on a rafter and began to sing. This recluse would never be her family, but she would abide with him through the harsh months coming. Then she would continue her search.

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

"Snape, you have succeeded?" Red eyes watched the tall man, looking for any sign of betrayal or any emotion whatsoever.

Severus bowed his head slightly, his eyes never dipping. "I have secured the position of Potions Master at Hogwarts."

"It was to be the Dark Arts position." Disappointment laced the words and Severus stopped himself from tensing.

"The Headmaster had filled the position already and offered me this one. I accepted, but if you wish me to resign it, I shall, my lord." Severus waited patiently for the answer. It didn't matter to him either way, as long as he was allowed to work on potions.

Red eyes narrowed before Voldemort barked out his response. "Keep the position." Biting back his aggravation, he continued in a smoother tone. "You will still be capable to watching the old fool. Do you have anything else to report?"

Shaking his head no, Severus stepped back into the circle and watched the others carefully as he was to report to Dumbledore after this meeting. He didn't trust Voldemort to keep Lily alive, the Dark Lord didn't like muggleborns and had no reason to honour his request, so not long after the meeting that identified Lily as a target, he walked into the Headmaster's office. During that meeting he acted, showing emotions he was sure he no longer had, so that the Headmaster would take him seriously enough to protect Lily. He knew that his apathy towards James and the baby was a sore point, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He had given up on that almost a year and half ago when he let Wendyll fly free.

"Is there any news of the location of either the Potters or the Longbottoms?"

The words were hissed out at the group, and Severus felt a fragment of satisfaction at being the cause of the aggravation. Starting on his first visit he let Dumbledore know that both families were targeted by Voldemort, and since then he kept the man informed on the hunt.

A thin voice sounded up from the back of the circle. "The Potters were seen in the north of Reading at the beginning of the week."

' _Are they really there? Dumbledore would know … I'll tell him about this reporter tonight.'_ This was not the first time the thin voice gave information on the Potters' whereabouts, and sometimes he reported on the Longbottoms as well. There was something familiar about the voice, but the man never moved while everyone was present, so Severus was uncertain about his identity.

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

Ever since leaving Ackley, Wendyll moved further and further north until she arrived in Hogsmeade. When she flew into town, she didn't expect to see familiar buildings, or hear sounds she knew from her time with Severus. The ever present ache flared up, filling her, and caused her to land on the eaves of a building.

Trembling, she watched the townspeople scurrying to and fro. It took an hour before she flew in search of food and news.

The wrens near the train station told her that they children were coming back today. The ones that lived near the apothecary told her about the new Potions Master up at the school. They couldn't describe him, but knew for sure it was a him. They had then talked about Slughorn, which suck Wendyll in as she knew how the man was up at the school and could add new stories to their collection.

After she left them, she began hunting down all the information she could on the newest professor at Hogwarts, or rather one of the two, but no one seemed to mention the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. It was growing late before she felt as if she had all the information she could find here.

The arrival of the Hogwarts Express was announced by a loud whistle, startling Wendyll. She wobbled on perch under the eaves of the train station cover before catching herself. It was while watching the students flood off the train, and hearing the familiar sound of Hagrid calling for first years, that she decided to go to the school. She needed to see who the new professor was just in case it was Severus.

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Severus headed for the lake which was student free at this hour in the morning. The sun had barely crested the horizon and the dew that was clinging to everything soaked the edge of his robe. Settling at his normal morning spot near the lake shore, Severus caught himself looking at the bush next to him. _'She is not here. She doesn't even know I am.'_ Forcing his gaze to take in the fog clinging to the lake, he let the morning peace settle him. In a few short hours he would be eating breakfast in front of a forced audience and then teaching a bunch of dunderheads who had no respect for the potions they had to learn.

Wendyll peered at the man sitting next to the bush she was hiding in, his robes and hair reminded her of Severus. The slump of his shoulders struck a chord deep in her heart, it was very similar to the first time she spotted her boy. _'No hope – no … it has been dashed one time to many.'_

Shaking her feathers, she hopped through the dense branches until she was near the man's shoulder and considered calling out; none of the ones she had mistaken for her Severus had noticed anything different, but she found she couldn't – her heart was lodged in her throat. Flitting out of the bush, she hopped along the ground barely making a sound in the damp grass.

' _Those fingers … they look like his.'_ Her heart beat harder as hope filled it. Hopping further, she tipped her head to the side to see his face only to have her view blocked by a curtain of hair. Flicking her wings in aggravation, she let out a soft churr. The fingers near her twitched. Blinking, she gathered up all the courage she could find and flitted to the covered knee that was pulled up almost chest height.

The moment her feet touched him, she knew it was her Severus. Tilting her head, her gaze was met with a very familiar one. Black eyes stared into each other before they both blinked slowly.

"Severus." She flicked a wing as she softly chirped his name, her tone laced with her uncertainty of her welcome.

"Wendyll?" Severus' eyes widened as disbelief filled his voice. "Why are you here? Where is your herd? Your new family?"

Gripping his trouser leg tightly with her feet, she hunkered down and with a series of scolding chirps, she began to answer him. "Yes, Wendyll. I have looked for you for almost a year and a half, Severus. You moved! You told me to visit and then you moved without letting me know where you were going!" A wing flipped, the feathers slapping his leg softly but she was obviously cuffing him. "If you had done so, you would have known I could not settle with that herd. I tried but … it didn't work."

Her head drooped as she remembered the poor nests and the pushy males. A gentle finger, one she missed sorely, stroked down her back, following her spine. "I hunted for you, following rumours, looking for you everywhere I could think of. I have seen more of this island than any other wren."

Lifting her head, she looked into the face of mate she had chosen. "Can I stay? Please? I will hide from everyone as normal. No one needs to know I am around."

Severus could feel her heart beating fast under his fingers and the tremors that were shaking the small body. Her words, her request echoed in his ears, slowly filling his mind. Wendyll wanted him. She hunted him down through a number of hardships if her feathers were any indication. The emptiness that resided in the centre of his chest slowly filled.

Cupping her gently into his hand, he lifted her to eye level. "If you truly wish to stay with me, you may. There is no need to hide unless you desire to do so."

Small black eyes brightened and Severus continued before she could answer. "Live with me for a while before making your decision. I am not the same person you left. I have done many things you may not approve of."

A chirp and a tail flip was his answer.

Ϟ Ô.Ō Ϟ

Perched on the edge of a shelf, Wendyll watched Severus teach. The children were squirming in their seats and she was positive a cauldron would be exploding before the end of the class. Flicking her wings and tail slightly, she shifted to see Severus' robe flare around him like a bird protectively hovering around its brood. A surprised chirp almost escaped her and she spun about to stare at the children. They may be fledglings learning to leave the nest and fly, but they were still in the need of a parent's care. Most of them would do fine with the professors watching over them, especially their Heads of House, but some might need extra help.

Today was her decision day and she already knew what it was. She hoped that Severus would listen to her idea as well as she listened to his.

That night she perched as high as she could to watch the children in the Great Hall. Surely there had to be one who they could watch and tend. Flitting from one spot to another, she caught sight of one, a Ravenclaw, that reminded her of Severus when they first met. Studying his face, she knew that they could help him fly if Severus would let them try.

Dinner took longer than Severus wanted, his anxiety climbing as he prepared himself for Wendyll's departure. He knew when she left, he would once again be an empty shell, and the other professors would comment on it. The meal finally finished, and he steeled himself as he headed for his chambers. Wendyll met him at the door, balancing on the door handle. Holding out a hand, he waited for her to settle on it before he walked into their chamber.

As soon as the door closed, Wendyll flew to the mantel and faced Severus. "I am not leaving, Severus."

Severus stopped, his heart swearing that he had heard right while his brain was certain it was wrong. "I have made a number of poor decisions. Lily is endangered because of me, as is Alice and Frank." Even now he refused to mention Potter.

"And you have taken steps to ensure their safety." Wings flicked and a soft churr sounded before she continued. "You … you are my partner, Severus. I have accepted the nest you created for me years ago, and no one has succeeded in making a better one."

"You deserve to have a brood, to have fledglings to watch over." He leaned towards her, propping against the winged back chair that sat near the fireplace. "To hear the song of your family – not the poor imitation I sing."

"You sing it better than the other herd." She hopped closer, tipping her head so that she could see him better. "We could have a brood."

Severus' head shot back, his eyes wide. "We … us? How? There's no way … I'm a … and you're a ..."

A merry series of chirps filled the air as Wendyll laughed. Severus crossed his arms and began to frown. "It is true, we cannot have children. You know it, so why are you laughing?"

Flitting her tail, Wendyll hopped closer to him and churred soothingly. "It is true, we cannot have our own personal brood, but we can adopt one. We can take in a child from here that needs extra guidance and help."

"I'm spying for the Headmaster, and the Dark Lord thinks I'm spying for him. How _in the world_ can I take in a _child_?"

" _We_ take one in. Yes, you are going to be the one talking to them, but it will be both of us watching him."

"Him? You have already picked out this child?" Severus stepped back and began to pace.

Hopping along the mantel, she followed him the best she could as she answered. "A first year Ravenclaw – the other students called him Charles Steinberg."

His footsteps stalled as he turned to stare at the wren. "Why Mr Steinberg? What drew you to him?"

"He reminds me of you when we first met. He needs someone to help him survive, and I don't think he is getting the support."

Severus shook his head. "I can't believe I am discussing this with you. It _is not_ possible."

" _It is_ , you just have to be careful." She glided to the back of the chair. "It will work out. We just need a roost big enough for everyone."

"There is an empty room nearby, we can convert it to fit our needs." When he heard what he said, Severus sank onto the arm of the chair a sigh escaping him. "We are going to do this, aren't we? You are not going to let me out of it."

Wendyll hopped closer, her wings flitting as she moved. "Yes, we are going to do it. It will be good, Severus. We can make our family larger."

Severus' gaze meshed with hers. "Just how large are you intending on making it?"

Small black eyes brightened in anticipation. "I was thinking of a child from each year, and then taking in one from each incoming group."

Severus frowned in an attempt to quell her rising hopes. "They will have to be sworn to secrecy. I cannot have the Dark Lord learning of this."

"Of course." The frown had no effect on her, she was immune to them by now.

"And they will need some symbol to identify them to each other. Something that will make them feel like our family."

"Feathers." She moved to stand on his hand, which he lifted to make it easier to see him. "When I moult, they may have a feather to identify themselves as ours. We can save the other feathers for next year's fledgling."

"Feathers it is then." Looking at the little bird perched on his finger, Severus knew as long as she was there he would never be empty and his life would be interesting. "I will talk to Mr Steinberg tomorrow, be prepared, you need to be there as well."

Wendyll flitted to his shoulder and chirped softly. Of course she will be ready.


End file.
